I honestly don't think it needs to be outlawed. That would create a huge problem for people who need it. Look at the 'opioid crisis' which all it has done is take needed medicine away from people in horrible pain.

I don't blame my psychiatrist for putting me on venlafaxine - but I do blame him for not warning me about the withdrawal. It should only be prescribed with a plan in place to help patients taper off. And backup plans in case of insurance problems. The side effects from this med were actually very mild compared to sertraline and a few others.

I hope everyone remembers that at least for depression, this is a medication that can do a lot of good. For me, it was the only thing that worked (until it stopped working). It is not inherently bad or dangerous. It's really the stopping taking it that is the problem.

I'm rather concerned about new patients that seem to find this thread and immediately decide to quit cold turkey without giving it a chance. Untreated depression is dangerous! The fad of anti-medication is actually killing people. Getting someone with depression into treatment is hard enough. And supplements don't work for moderate to severe depression. Even if they could, they have no guarantee they contain what is on the label, unlike a prescription.